Congratulations to the Happy Couple

Our street was suitably decorated for the Royal Wedding, and what a beautiful day it turned out to be.

Our village is also laying on all day festivities to celebrate the happy event. The wedding was very moving and the dress was gorgeous. We have all decided we are very proud to be British, and occasions like this really bring out the best in British spirit.  Many congratulations to William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

I do love an excuse to get my vintage Union Jacks out!!  See you tomorrow at the Cheese and Grain in Frome for the original Vintage Bazaar.

Jo xx

Easter Makeovers

As well as gardening this weekend I have been busy getting ready for the Vintage Bazaar next Saturday in Frome.  I have lots of new lovelies to take as well as a couple of items I have given a makeover to.

I recently purchased this lovely set of vintage drawers in great condition.  They were covered in red fabric that looked lovely but I felt I could do better.  I have covered the top back and sides in antique French Vichy check fabric and the drawer fronts are covered in a gorgeous vintage French floral fabric.

I am rather pleased with how they have turned out as it was a bit fiddly to do.  After seeing the finished result I was tempted to keep them but cannot really justify it, I mean, how many pairs of drawers does a girl need??? :0))

Another little makeover was this gorgeous little antique dolls/teddy bear bed.  I haven't touched the bed apart from wiping it over with a damp cloth as I adore the cobalt blue paint it has been painted in.

I love how the paint is distressed and worn with time.  The bed looks to be handmade and very rustic.  I have made a feather filled mattress out of vintage ticking for the base which involved getting covered in down and depositing feathers around the garden!!

I also made a matching feather filled pillow and finally a mini feather eiderdown made from antique Toile and backed in Hungarian rustic linen  with a pom pom trim.  It will be coming with me next Saturday as will the drawers to hopefully find new homes.

Have also recently made a couple of quilted shopping bags, this one was made from a panel of French quilt, the gusset made from a vintage floral quilt and lined rather extravagantly with Vichy check.

I have made this one from vintage quilt patches and lined it with a plum coloured vintage French linen.  I have used webbing for the handles for strength.  They too will be coming with me next Saturday.

I hope you have all had a wonderful Easter weekend and enjoyed this glorious weather.  Have a great week.

Jo xx

Easter Weekend Gardening, Barbecue's & Pugs

Andy and I have decided to set to on the garden at last!!  It was horribly neglected last year because of the building work we were having done.  The garden was full of building materials and rubbish and subsequently not a lot was done.  We certainly paid for it and with the bad winter we had the garden was looking terrible.

Andy has been busy building two raised beds next to the greenhouse ready for the veggies we will grow this year.

The first one is finished and has been planted up with some pumpkins, squash, onions and garlic.  We still need to get some top soil to finish the second bed.

The decking has been moved under the old oak tree, and my summer house has had a much needed spring clean and spruce up with some summery bunting.

I pulled everything out and then re stacked it all in neatly...it probably won't look this way for long!!

I love sitting in here sorting through everything with the windows open and my pink Roberts radio tuned into radio 2.

The sweet peas are planted out and the tub ready for the runner beans.

There is still a lot to do but if we do a bit each week then hopefully the garden will be up and running again.

Of course Lily Pug has to be in on the action.

I think the Pugs were hanging around because they could smell the barbecue

.

Last weekend Elvis and I helped collect money for the PAT dog charity at our local garden centre.  Elvis visits a nursing home fortnightly as a PAT dog and they love him.  I enjoy it also because I miss my nursing days and caring for people. Elvis had to undergo a strict assessment to ensure he was of the right temperament to visit vulnerable people.  Unfortunately our other Pugs wouldn't be suitable as they are too boisterous!!

He was partnered by Robbie the ex racing greyhound who is also a PAT dog.  They loved the attention and we raised a fair amount of money so it was a good day all round.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend and enjoying this beautiful yet unexpected summer weather. 

Hope you all have a very Happy Easter.

Jo xx

Weekend Treasures & Betty Boo is here to stay!!

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend, the weather is absolutely gorgeous.  Andy is busy doing his Percy Thrower bit and building two raised beds for the veggie plot and I have been busy treasure hunting.

The conservatory looks a bit like a jumble sale at the moment.

A rather lovely old bicycle basket in really good condition.

Yet more baskets!!  A lovely vintage picnic basket and a fishing creel, and some rather sweet vintage clip on lampshades....I would love to re cover them in vintage eiderdown fabric but haven't a clue where to start?

Two rather gorgeous vintage flags, perfect for the Royal Wedding celebrations.

A beautiful early 20th Century chain mail evening purse lined with very soft leather and in lovely condition.

A collection of unfinished embroideries.

A gorgeous vintage deck chair striped door curtain with it's original tie back.  

This is a beautiful length of vintage flag fabric originally intended to be used around a podium I think?  I bought it at the Vintage and Handmade (sorry I can't remember who from).  It has British made stamped on it and we are trying to think up a use for it.

Our final purchase at our local car boot was this rather gorgeous original ships lantern which is eventually going in the porch when a certain Percy Thrower has time to wire it in!!

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend and enjoying this beautiful weather.

Jo xx

PS...Forgot to mention that Betty is staying with us permanently, so now we are six!!

Vintage Weekend & Six Pugs

My apologies for having taken so long to post about the Vintage & Handmade Spring Fair last Saturday. The weather was absolutely glorious it couldn't have been better.  Chipping Sodbury was very easy to find, thankfully for me with my terrible sense of direction.  We arrived just after eight and began the job of setting up.  I was out in the main foyer with Tracey from The Vintage Bothy, Woo from The Devil Makes Work, the lovely Donna Flower and her stunning array of vintage and antique fabrics, Daniella from Acorn and Will as well as a few others who I am sorry I didn't catch your names, so my apologies.

The atmosphere was lovely and it was great to catch up with some old friends as well as meeting new people.
Andy and I had a great laugh with Tracey and M. I was particularly loud and badly behaved which is what my public expects of me, so I can't let them down can I!!!

I had a real mixture of things on my stand, this was the fabric, quilt patches and haberdashery corner.  I piled all of my quilts and eiderdowns on to the vintage luggage rack for people to rummage through, and my handmade cushions fitted perfectly into the vintage laundry basket in front of the table.

Two little Easter rabbits that my Mum made sit amongst a selection of fabric and china.

Everybody loved the Stories for Girls books!!

The Quilt pieces and patches were my best seller on the day.  People like to make their own, and I almost sold out long before the fair was over.

More vintage lovelies, and my gorgeous set of drawers came in very handy on the day, they are perfect for storing and displaying vintage lace and millinery flowers.

A picture of my stand before the fair opened, I had a lovely spot and was able to spread out a bit which was wonderful as I always take too much with me.  My stand was fairly depleted by the end of the day, but the van was still full as Andy had been to the farm shop at Rangeworthy and stocked up on some of their delicious fare.

This was the view of the main hall with everyone setting up before the doors opened at 10 am.  I met the lovely Viv from Hen's Teeth, Hen from Henhouse and her hubby Andy looking rather resplendent in his Boden Tweed jacket and Lizzie The Washerwoman who was on the stage with an array of vintage lovelies. Clare from Daisy Darling was there with her beautiful cloche hats and a lovely set of fabric drawers which I tried to spirit away from her!! It was lovely to see Lesley again from This 'n' That in Totnes after the huge success the Nostalgic Mix 2 was a couple of weeks ago.   Finally I must say a big thank you to the two lovely ladies who organised the whole thing, Jayne and Michele.  They worked jolly hard to organise everything down to the last detail, and it went so smoothly.  Jaynes hubby has taken some fabulous pictures of the day so if you go to her blog Country Cottage Chic and click on the photostream link you can see the day in all it's glory.  Thank you for a wonderful day everyone and looking forward to the next.

Almost forgot to mention, we have a new Pug, we are currently looking after her for a friend.  Her name is Betty and she is second from the left in the picture.  As you can see she has settled in really well with our pack, and is already at home in front of the AGA.  Have a great week everyone.

Jo xx

Priced, packed and ready to go!!

Well at last I am all packed and ready for the  Vintage and Handmade Spring fair in Chipping Sodbury this Saturday.....can't wait.  I feel very honoured that Jayne and Michele asked me to this gorgeous fair.

Here is a taste of some of the goodies I will have on offer.

Loads of quilts and eidy's, cushions galore and a rather lovely set of vintage drawers (that I was very tempted to keep for myself but can't justify it).  

Everything else is packed into boxes and baskets, I think our little van is going to be pretty full on Saturday.  Please try and come if you can it will be lovely to see you.  Have a lovely weekend and I'll let you all know how it went on Sunday.

Jo xx

Baguette Box Makeover & Cath Kidston Quilts for sale

I have been busy getting the baguette box that I bought at the weekend ready for the V&H Fair on Saturday.  I have painted it in Farrow & Ball Lichen and lightly distressed it before giving it a coat of clear wax polish to finish.  What do you think?

I have lined the front with vintage French faded roses fabric and added a Vichy check heart to finish.  I hope it goes down well at the fair.

I am having to use the fabric very sparingly as I haven't much left, but I think it looks just right with the green and adds a nice contrast.  

Now I don't normally sell things through my Blog but I have two Cath Kidston quilts and as they are not vintage I cannot sell them at the fairs.  I also despise listing things on a certain auction site so I thought I would offer them for sale here.

Firstly is a sweet CK Eiderdown, feather filled and with an Oxford trim.  It is tied with little pieces of ribbon rather than being quilted and I am sure the feathers are secured in another cover inside as it doesn't seem to be uneven (if that makes sense!!) I cannot see any damage and it has been washed.

It measures 42"x62" (Still a feet and inches girl I'm afraid...ahem!!)  and I am asking £35 + £7 P&P.
SORRY THE CK EIDY IS SOLD!!!!

I also have a paisley CK quilt (possibly Ikea I think), it is a good size measuring 69"x106" and is in good condition.

It is a lovely paisley design to one side and red polka dots to the other.  It has also been washed and is ready to go.  I am asking £35 + £7 P&P.  Please Email me at hestanesta@hotmail.co.uk if you are interested.  Hope you are all having a great week so far.

Jo xx

Sunday Treasure

Hope you are all having a lovely Mothers Day, I had a lovely card and some 'smellies' from my gorgeous son.  I am so lucky to have a thoughtful teenager, nothing like me at that age!!  I wouldn't wish a teenage daughter like I was on anyone....say no more.  My Mum still reminds me of how bad I was and I am forty something now!!  Well, the weekend has offered up some wonderful finds once again.

A very sweet circa 1930's cut glass powder bowl and lid, and still with the original powder puff inside.  I don't think I have ever seen one with the original powder puff.

A lovely little Art Nouveau Hairpin box.

Another pretty little box that must have contained chocolates at one time.

I love this vintage wicker bottle basket, I have a weakness for baskets.

And now for a bit of a French theme......a lovely vintage baguette box.  I am going to give this a little makeover this week and paint it in a Farrow & Ball shade, and place some vintage French fabric behind the spindles at the front.

I also found some lovely vintage French coat hooks, three sets in fact, that will also be getting a little makeover.

I also found these gorgeous rustic circa 1920's vintage French bread proving baskets.  They are in good condition apart from a couple and I wouldn't recommend using them for their intended purpose but they will make fantastic display items.  I love the baguette baskets particularly.  So all in all it has been a fab weekend and now I am going to enjoy the rest of Mothers Day and put my feet up.....hope you are all doing the same. Have a great week and hopefully see some of you at the V&H next Saturday.
Jo xx